Trump remains focus of GOP's midterm campaign as convention wraps

Geoff Bennett:

With November's midterms closing in, Republicans wrapped an unprecedented two-day convention in Dallas aimed at firing up the party's base. President Trump and Vice President J.D. Vance headlined an event that also produced some striking and unexpected moments.

Our Liz Landers spoke with attendees and has this report.

Announcer:

Tonight, President Trump.

Liz Landers:

On the final night of the Republican Convention...

President Donald Trump:

You know what happens if you don't vote. You go to hell. You know that.

(Laughter)

Liz Landers:

... the commander in chief delivered marching orders to his loyal MAGA warriors.

Donald Trump:

So please raise your right hand.

I pledge...

Audience:

I pledge...

Donald Trump:

... to the greatest president in the history of the United States...

Liz Landers:

Administering a pledge for the crowd to vote in November.

Donald Trump:

I will go out with my family, my friends. I will do it anyway. I don't care if I'm registered or not. I'm going to try and cheat like hell like they do.

Liz Landers:

As convention attendees leave Dallas and return to their home districts, polling suggests the party has work to do to win over voters with 53 days until the midterm elections.

That has some Republicans like 32-year-old Sara Tabor concerned.

Sara Tabor, RNC Midterm Convention Attendee:

I am a little bit worried, I'm not going to lie, but I do think that there's a lot of fake news. So I think that we have the majority, and I think that good will prevail in the end.

Liz Landers:

While President Trump took center stage at the unprecedented Republican Midterm Convention, even some attendees are torn about how big his profile should be in the final weeks of the campaign.

Lisa Holomshek, RNC Midterm Convention Attendee:

I love my president, but sometimes...

(Laughter)

Lisa Holomshek:

Sometimes, I just need to hear less of him and more -- I just -- I want to see action.

Liz Landers:

Others say Trump is a big motivator for the base.

Kenton Kirkpatrick, RNC Midterm Convention Attendee:

It's always better to be more Trump. He gets people out. I mean, and I think he's done a really good thing to make it it's a referendum on heel.

Liz Landers:

Inside the convention, other GOP speakers focus their attention on Democrats, hoping to instead turn the election into a referendum on socialism and make New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani and Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed the poster children for the Democratic Party, leading to this moment as Senator Ted Cruz addressed the crowd.

Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX):

When Mamdani says he wants to seize the means of production, he means it. When Abdul El-Sayed says he has a -- quote -- "obligation" to comply with Sharia law, he means it.

Audience member:

He should be shot!

Liz Landers:

While Cruz did not acknowledge the shouted comments, El-Sayed responded later on CNN.

Abdul El-Sayed (D), Michigan Senatorial Candidate: Democracy is supposed to be the process by which we solve our problems peacefully, we can learn to disagree agreeably.

J.D. Vance, Vice President of the United States: The Democrats are the party of hatred.

Liz Landers:

Vice President J.D. Vance made the case to stay the course.

J.D. Vance:

Do not throw the baby out with the bathwater.

(Applause)

J.D. Vance:

Don't give the country over to a bunch of crazy people because you happen to disagree with us on a policy issue here or there.

Liz Landers:

With Trump term-limited and Vance delivering the keynote address, attention inevitably turned to 2028.

Jeriel Jammullamudy, RNC Midterm Convention Attendee:

We need to start setting up who's going to be coming after next and have a succession plan ready to go.

Liz Landers:

And who do you hope is that succession plan? Who do you want to see as the Republican nominee in 2028?

Jeriel Jammullamudy:

I really like Marco Rubio. I think he's great. I like Senator Hawley. I think he's great. J.D. Vance, of course, I think is great as well. So there's a lot of good options, I think.

Liz Landers:

For his part, the vice president downplayed any speculation about his future.

J.D. Vance:

We got to take care of business this November. Then we will worry about what comes next.

Liz Landers:

So, talk about 2028 remains just talk for now. As the convention ended with the traditional balloon drop, President Donald Trump stood alone on stage, still the center of the Republican Party.

For the "PBS News Hour," I'm Liz Landers in Dallas, Texas.